The Correspondence of Charles Darwin: Volume 19, 1871

Get inside Charles Darwin's mind as he published Descent of Man, his first public statement on human evolution.

Charles Darwin (Author), Frederick Burkhardt (Edited by), James Secord (Edited by), The Editors of the Darwin Correspondence Project (Author)

9781107016484, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 5 April 2012

1116 pages, 60 b/w illus. 3 colour illus.
23.4 x 16.5 x 6.1 cm, 1.77 kg

Review of volumes 19 and 20: 'The editing and organization of these volumes is, as always, superb; the Darwin Correspondence really does set the standard against which all comparable projects have to be measured. In addition to a wonderfully erudite editorial apparatus (the footnotes alone contain a wealth of invaluable information), all the surviving letters Darwin received are published … as well as by dates, topics and so on … the importance and usefulness of these volumes go well beyond the world of Darwin, or even studies of the many forms of nineteenth-century evolutionism. No Victorianist should be without them.' Jim Endersby, British Journal for the History of Science

This pivotal volume in the definitive edition of Charles Darwin's letters covers the year 1871, the year in which Descent of Man, Darwin's first public statement on human evolution, was published. The large number of letters in this year - more than 800 - reflects the excitement this caused. Darwin depended on correspondence to collect data from a growing network of contacts all over the world and to discuss his emerging ideas with colleagues, many of whom he never met in person. This year also saw the marriage of Darwin's daughter Henrietta, the first of his children to marry; the volume includes her personal journal of the year, published here for the first time, which complements letters that hint at her important role in her father's work as both commentator and editor. Notes and appendixes put these fascinating and wide-ranging letters in context, making them accessible to both scholars and general readers.

List of illustrations
List of letters
Introduction
Acknowledgments
List of provenances
Note on editorial policy
Darwin/Wedgwood genealogy
Abbreviations and symbols
The correspondence
Appendixes: 1. Translations
2. Chronology
3. Diplomas presented to Charles Darwin
4. Presentation list for Descent
5. Reviews of Descent
6. Henrietta Emma Darwin's journal, 1871
7. Darwin's Queries about expression
Manuscript alterations and comments
Biographical register and index to correspondents
Bibliography
Notes on manuscript sources
Index.

Subject Areas: DNA & Genome [PSAK1], Evolution [PSAJ], Biology, life sciences [PS]